His Dearest Foes (1914)
Lieutenant Gerald Calhoun, son of Colonel Calhoun, commander of an English garrison in India, is a wastrel and gambler. He gets heavily in debt and his mother secretly gives him a valuable sapphire ring to pay it. Gerald takes the ring and puts it up as a stake in a game of bridge with an Indian Rajah, who wagers a diamond pin against it. The lieutenant is losing, becomes desperate and resorts to cheating. He is discovered and denounced in his club by his fellow-officers. His father enters and hears all. He orders his son on a dangerous mission through the native lines, hoping that his possible death or the carrying out of the dangerous mission will save him from complete disgrace. Gerald, who is a coward, begs his father not to send him. But the Colonel is obdurate. The boy pleads with his mother and she in turn goes to the Colonel and asks him not to send their son to his certain death. He refuses her request. She turns upon him and tells him he hates his son. She declares he has killed her love for him and rushes from the room. That night, when his son was supposed to be on his way, the Colonel finds him stupefied with drink. Long the Colonel stares at his son, the picture of cowardice and vice. He strives to understand how his own flesh and blood should have fallen so low. He writes a letter to his wife, bidding her farewell and then starts out on the mission himself. When Gerald wakes up and finds what his father has done, he is overwhelmed with remorse. His mother sees him, disheveled and trembling from his debauch, and turns on him and denounces him for his cowardice and weakness. They ride out in the morning, listening to the call of conscience and praying for the Colonel's safety. They come across the Colonel lying face down in the road, where he has fallen after a single-handed fight with the natives. A squad from the garrison arrives in time to rout the natives. Calhoun is carried to his home, where it is found that he will recover. Gerald comes into his father's room, begs forgiveness and lays his sword and uniform on the bed. The Colonel sees the new resolve in his son's eyes and realizes that he has awakened to the call of duty at last. They shake hands and the son departs for Canada, his mother weeping by the Colonel's bedside.
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GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| E.H. Calvert | Director |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| E.H. Calvert | |
| Bryant Washburn | |
| Helen Dunbar | |
| John Cossar |
